Stardock Magazine: January 2019

Happy New Year! We've had a busy start to 2019 here at Stardock and we can't wait to share all of the exciting things that we have happening with you. We have a whole bunch of new software and games coming up. Stardock Magazine January 2019 By Brad Wardell, CEO (@draginol) Topics: • [Star Control: Origins](#sco) • [DeskScapes 10 Preview](#deskscapes) • [Galactic Civilizations III: Retribution Announced](#gc3) • [Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion - Minor Factions](#sins) Happy New Year! We've had a busy start to 2019 here at Stardock and we can't wait to share all of the exciting things that we have happening with you. We have a whole bunch of new software and games coming up, plus we're working on some really cutting-edge new technology that we hope to be able to publicly talk about in the relative near future. [Star Control: Origins] Last year, we released one of our most highly anticipated games ever: Star Control®: Origins™. Players have been loving the immersive (and hilarious) story, the exciting ship-to-ship combat, and the unique cast of aliens and characters they've been able to meet throughout the course of the game. In December, we released Aftermath, Part 1 of the Earth Rising season pass for Star Control: Origins. This 4-part pass covers humanity's quest to establish themselves on the galactic scene among their new found alien allies - and enemies. [Star Control: Origins](=/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zdGFyZG9jay5jb20vbWVkaWEvTWFpbGVycy9zdGFyZG9ja19tYWdhemluZS9qYW4yMDE5L2ltYWdlcy9zY29fZWFydGhyaXNpbmcuanBnP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9c2RtYWcmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY29udGVudD1zY28taW1nJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZG1hZy1qYW4yMDE5JnV0bV90ZXJtPXNkbWFnLWphbjIwMTktMjE2ODA=) In Aftermath, Star Control has ordered the construction of a new Star Control base in Epsilon Trireme. Not every alien is happy about the prospect of an expanding human empire, however, and already the efforts there have run into trouble. Meanwhile, a group of suspiciously helpful aliens have informed you of a potential new ally: the Gloosh, who are, quite possibly, the laziest aliens in the universe. On top of it all, a new enemy appears in the shadows, one who seems to have their own long history with humanity... The Star Control: Origins universe is vast - so vast, in fact, that you can spend hours exploring outside of the main story. Each part of the season pass enhances the main game even further and branches off from the many different subplots that you'll encounter as you play. We brought back the extremely talented Chris Bucholz (who wrote the entire main story plot) to work on Earth Rising. We can't wait for players to experience what he has in store for them with these adventures. Following Aftermath, three more parts will release for the season pass. Purchasing Earth Rising will give players access to all of them, but they won't all be available right away. The release schedule is as follows below: Part 1: Aftermath (Now Available) Part 2: The Lexites (NEXT! Winter 2019) Part 3: The Syndicate (Spring 2019) Part 4: Earth Rises (Summer 2019) Check out the [Earth Rising](=/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdG9yZS5zdGVhbXBvd2VyZWQuY29tL2FwcC85NjExNTAvP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9c2RtYWcmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY29udGVudD1lYXJ0aC1yaXNpbmctdHh0JnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZG1hZy1qYW4yMDE5JnV0bV90ZXJtPXNkbWFnLWphbjIwMTktMjE2ODA=) trailer [here](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cueW91dHViZS5jb20vd2F0Y2g-dj1VS0ZrY2plc01FTSZ1dG1fc291cmNlPXNkbWFnJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9ZWFydGgtcmlzaW5nLXRyYWlsZXItdHh0JnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZG1hZy1qYW4yMDE5JnV0bV90ZXJtPXNkbWFnLWphbjIwMTktMjE2ODA=). If you don't already have Star Control: Origins, you can pick it up on [Steam](=/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdG9yZS5zdGVhbXBvd2VyZWQuY29tL2FwcC8yNzEyNjAvU3Rhcl9Db250cm9sX09yaWdpbnMvP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9c2RtYWcmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY29udGVudD1zY28tc3RlYW0tdHh0JnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZG1hZy1qYW4yMDE5JnV0bV90ZXJtPXNkbWFnLWphbjIwMTktMjE2ODA=). For more information, visit [www.starcontrol.com](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3RhcmRvY2suY29tL2dhbWVzL3N0YXJjb250cm9sLz91dG1fc291cmNlPXNkbWFnJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9c2NvLXdlYnNpdGUtdHh0JnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZG1hZy1qYW4yMDE5JnV0bV90ZXJtPXNkbWFnLWphbjIwMTktMjE2ODA=). [DeskScapes 10 Preview] Object Desktop is due for some major updates this year. The first program to get a major update will be DeskScapes. [DeskScapes](=/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zdGFyZG9jay5jb20vbWVkaWEvTWFpbGVycy9zdGFyZG9ja19tYWdhemluZS9qYW4yMDE5L2ltYWdlcy9kZXNrc2NhcGVzLnBuZz91dG1fc291cmNlPXNkbWFnJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9ZGVza3NjYXBlcy1pbWcmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNkbWFnLWphbjIwMTkmdXRtX3Rlcm09c2RtYWctamFuMjAxOS0yMTY4MA==) One of the big changes will be the cloud integration to make it easier to find not just animated wallpapers, but wallpapers of all kinds, and use them easily on your desktop. We have a bunch of new features as well that we'll be showing off as we get closer to release. If you don't already have Object Desktop, we currently have it on sale for $29.99, which gets you not just DeskScapes (and the beta for v10), but Fences®, Groupy, Multiplicity®, Start10, and lots of other programs to improve your Windows user experience. Visit [](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3RhcmRvY2suY29tL3Byb2R1Y3RzL29kbnQvP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9c2RtYWcmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY29udGVudD1vZG50LWxpbmstdHh0JnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZG1hZy1qYW4yMDE5JnV0bV90ZXJtPXNkbWFnLWphbjIwMTktMjE2ODA=) to get it. [Galactic Civilizations III: Retribution is coming] A major new expansion pack for Galactic Civilizations® III [has been announced](=/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ2FsY2l2My5jb20vYXJ0aWNsZS80OTI4ODc-dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1zZG1hZyZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jb250ZW50PWdjMy1yZXRyaWJ1dGlvbi1hbm4tdHh0JnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZG1hZy1qYW4yMDE5JnV0bV90ZXJtPXNkbWFnLWphbjIwMTktMjE2ODA=). I don't want to bore you with the marketing speak, so let me get right to the good stuff. Many of you here who play games have Galactic Civilizations already (at least some version of it). The new expansion pack, Galactic Civilizations III: Retribution is essentially designed around making the game a lot more interesting during your play-through. Here's the problem with 4X strategy games: There are times they're really fun (like at the start) but there are periods where they can get bogged down. That's why 4X games tend to be a bit niche. With Retribution, what we did was spend a lot of time playing through and figuring out what points in the game felt like they needed something. So, here is what we came up with: First, early game there aren't enough strategic paths. That is, most people just colony rush. Second, mid game you would have many new colonies that were just building up but they weren't that worthwhile. Thus, you would end up with a lot of "next turn". Lastly, the late game grind. This is a big problem in 4X games in particular. Just getting units around quickly on large maps was a chore. So, how are we addressing these challenges in Retribution? Artifacts. As the game begins, scientists have begun finding Precursor artifacts scattered around planets. Even Earth has one. So do other planets. These artifacts, when controlled and activated, give your civilization specific powers. Some big, some small. One artifact, when activated, might randomly teleport a ship across the galaxy. Another one might simply uncover a selected area of the map. And still another might finish a technology. These artifacts allow you to control the pacing. It costs a lot of resources to activate an artifact to give it a "charge." Do you use that artifact immediately, or do you hold onto it for later? For instance, do you want to get an early tech to give you an immediate advantage, or do you hold onto it until later where some key tech might take 20 turns? Cargo Ships. The second problem we've run into and tried to solve (and failed) in the past, is getting colonies built up reasonably fast. The way we've done this before was to have your population increase really quickly. As in, literally, like 100 million people per turn on a new planet. Let's...try not to think too much about that. But the alternative was to make colonies useless compared to your home planet. In Retribution, we've introduced Cargo ships. It is, in hindsight, an obvious idea. Simply build cargo ships filled with processed goods, send them to your colonies, and give them the production directly. Now, population can increase a lot more slowly which means that playing "tall" (small but powerful empires) becomes a lot more viable. Hypergates. Nearly all space strategy games, including Sins of a Solar Empire, have phase lanes and such between destinations. Galactic Civilizations is one of the few that actually lets you travel in true space anywhere you want. Now this is good and all, but in the late game it can be tedious to travel across large maps. At various times, we had technologies that made all your ships fast or, alternatively, you could design your ships to be really fast. On paper, this should be fine, but in reality it's tedious at best and frustrating at worst. The solution: Hypergates. This requires a picture: [Galactic Civilizations III: Retribution](=/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zdGFyZG9jay5jb20vbWVkaWEvTWFpbGVycy9zdGFyZG9ja19tYWdhemluZS9qYW4yMDE5L2ltYWdlcy9nYzNfcmV0cmlidXRpb25faHlwZXJnYXRlcy5wbmc-dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1zZG1hZyZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jb250ZW50PWdjMy1yZXRyaWJ1dGlvbi1pbWcmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNkbWFnLWphbjIwMTkmdXRtX3Rlcm09c2RtYWctamFuMjAxOS0yMTY4MA==) When you build a hypergate, you can connect it to any other hypergate and it will create a hyperlane between them. Yes, we use the word "hyper" a lot, but it could be worse: we could use "quantum" everywhere, as that is the new hip word these days. Wait. Quantumgates! Nevermind. Anyway, your ships don't need to travel to a hypergate to use them. They will simply go to the nearest hyperlane and travel that way if it's faster to take it (you don't have to do anything, the path finding will automatically use them if it's the faster way to get to your destination). Hypergates are very expensive to construct so the galaxy won't be too filled with them. But, there should be enough of them that late game travel (or even early game expansion and war) should be a lot more interesting. Now, on top of all that, we are adding new alien civilizations, including bringing back the Drath and the Korath, re-designing the technology tree, and bringing in the exciting conclusion campaign to the GalCiv III story. Short version: future humans may seem like nice diplomats, but it was a really, really bad idea for aliens to think we were soft and unfamiliar with war. As it turns out, humans are really good at warfare when they're pushed to it. [Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion - Minor Factions] Our friends at Ironclad have finished a DLC for Sins of a Solar Empire®. Minor Factions delivers 15 new mini civilizations to deal with. Each one has its own backstory and provides unique benefits by having them in your camp. [Sins of a Solar Empire](=/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zdGFyZG9jay5jb20vbWVkaWEvTWFpbGVycy9zdGFyZG9ja19tYWdhemluZS9qYW4yMDE5L2ltYWdlcy9zaW5yZWJlbGxpb25fbWlub3JmYWN0aW9uZGxjLnBuZz91dG1fc291cmNlPXNkbWFnJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9c2lucy1kbGMtaW1nJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZG1hZy1qYW4yMDE5JnV0bV90ZXJtPXNkbWFnLWphbjIwMTktMjE2ODA=) We realize that many of you would like to see a full-on sequel to Sins of a Solar Empire, but we think you'll still find this to be pretty compelling. If you already have Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, you can get Minor Factions [here](=/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdG9yZS5zdGVhbXBvd2VyZWQuY29tL2FwcC85NzQ2NTAvU2luc19vZl9hX1NvbGFyX0VtcGlyZV9SZWJlbGxpb25fX01pbm9yX0ZhY3Rpb25zX0RMQy8-dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1zZG1hZyZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jb250ZW50PXNpbnMtZGxjLXN0ZWFtLWxpbmsmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNkbWFnLWphbjIwMTkmdXRtX3Rlcm09c2RtYWctamFuMjAxOS0yMTY4MA==). It has a 95% positive review score on Steam®! 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